April 27 will be the 11th NFL Draft for New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese. Today, we rank each first round draft pick.
During his tenure as general manager, Jerry Reese has drafted some of the best players in the history of the franchise who have helped the New York Giants win Super Bowls. He’s also suffered through his shares of drafting busts and players whose careers were derailed by injuries.Today, we’ll take a look at his first round draft picks and rank them one thru 10.
1. Odell Beckham Jr. – 2014
No receiver in NFL history has caught more passes in their first three seasons in the NFL (288) than Odell Beckham Jr.
In 2014, he was named NFL Offensive player of the year and has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. He has become the face of the franchise and he is the only receiver in Giants history to have at least 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns in three consecutive seasons. A case could be made that he is the most talented receiver in the NFL today.
In addition to his 288 receptions, Beckham has 4,122 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns so far in his career.
2. Jason Pierre-Paul – 2010
Jason Pierre-Paul has continued the Giants tradition of having an elite pass rusher. His best season came in 2011 when he recorded 86 tackles and 16.5 sacks while helping the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI. Injuries have hampered JPP over the past few seasons, but he is still one of the top defensive ends in the league, which is why the Giants re-signed him to a four-year contract in February. In his seven seasons with Big Blue, JPP has recorded 365 tackles, 50 sacks and three defensive touchdowns.
3. Hakeem Nicks – 2009
Next to Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks was the most impressive player during the Giants 2011 playoff run. In four games he caught he had 28 receptions for 444 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately for Nicks and the Giants, his career was derailed by injuries after the playoff run. In the offseason, he broke a bone in his foot and was never the same player.
In his six seasons with the Giants, Nicks recorded 318 receptions, for 4,676 yards and 27 touchdowns.
4. Justin Pugh – 2013
While the Giants offensive line has struggled over the past few seasons, it is in no way Justin Pugh’s fault. He has been the Giants most valuable lineman in his four seasons with the Giants playing right tackle, left guard, and left tackle. Some felt if he hadn’t missed five games last season, he may have been considered for the Pro Bowl.
5. Aaron Ross – 2007
Reese’s first pick ever Aaron Ross is the only player on this list with two Super Bowl rings. He may not have lived up to being a first-round draft pick, but he had a solid career with the Giants. For his career with Big Blue, he had 164 tackles, 11 interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. He had a career-high four interceptions in 2011 while playing for the injured Terrell Thomas.
6. Prince Amukamara – 2011
Amukamara was a talented player for the Giants, as he was for the majority of his tenure with the Giants their best cornerback. His main issue was staying on the field. In his five seasons with the Giants, he missed 25 out of a possible 80 games. While he was a good cover corner he seldom came down with interceptions. In five seasons with the Giants, he managed only seven interceptions.
7. Kenny Phillips – 2008
Kenny Phillips had a promising career coming out of the University of Miami in 2008. After playing sparingly in his rookie year, Phillips was poised to have a huge year in 2009. He had two interceptions in the Giants Week 2 33-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys, but missed the final 14 games of the season due to having microfracture surgery on his left knee. The injury prevented Phillips from playing up to his potential as he only managed to play a full 16 games once in his career. He did knock down Tom Brady’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play of Super Bowl XLVI to give the Giants their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
8. Eli Apple – 2016
It’s hard to grade Eli Apple on a top 10 list after one season, but he showed flashes that he’ll be a solid cornerback in this league. Though he had only one interception, he was seldom beat deep and was one of the reasons many felt the Giants had the best secondary in 2016. Giants are expecting big things from Apple in 2017.
9. Ereck Flowers – 2015
When Reese drafted Ereck Flowers in the first round in 2015, he thought he would be the Giants left tackle for the next decade. But Flowers has struggled over his first two seasons with penalties and blocking edge rushers. Flowers is strong but his footwork and technique have been poor and will probably have to change positions this seasons.
10. David Wilson – 2012
It wasn’t because of a lack of talent that David Wilson is number 10 on this list. It’s because the spinal stenosis injury he suffered in week 5 of the 2013 season that ultimately ended his career. Prior to his injury Wilson did have issues holding onto the football which is why he only had 71 rushing attempts as a rookie. He did set a franchise record with 327 all-purpose yards in the Giants week 14 52-27 win over the New Orleans Saints where he became the first player in NFL history with 200 kickoff return yards, and 100 rushing yards in a game.